Mohip’s expectations

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Four Chicago visitors joined Youngstown City Schools CEO Krish Mohip for his fourth Community Input Meeting at Harding Elementary School.

Mohip was joined Tuesday evening by his family: wife, Erin, and their three children, Noah, Riley and Isabella.

“I was a principal before marriage, and I was principal before kids, and being a principal after marriage and kids changed me,” he said. “My expectations changed. ... There is no such thing as an achievement gap – if I say there’s an achievement gap that means there’s something different in our brain – but there is something that is called an opportunity gap.”

Mohip then left the room and allowed the crowd of about 50 attendees to discuss “building accelerated pathways” for the students.

Preschool educator Debbie Duffy said the discussion and the fourth session was thrilling as far as being able to see so many people involved.

“They do have an interest in [the schools], and I don’t think people realize the teachers and the staff really do care [about the students],” she said. “We are just figuring out ways to touch each student in a number of different and meaningful ways.”

There will be another Community Input Meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Martin Luther King Elementary School, 2724 Mariner Ave.